James Caldemeyer’s
Lake Fork Trophy Bass
Monthly Fishing Report
June 2016



June has arrived… And it’s my absolute favorite month of the year for trophy bass fishing on Lake Fork! The weather is warming and early summer patterns are starting to take shape. The kids are out of school and you have the opportunity to spend some quality time with them out on the lake. You can catch fish just about any way you want to right now which gives many anglers the opportunity to catch fish using their favorite baits. Whether its shallow water top waters, or deep structure Carolina rigs, to anything in between, you’ll have a blast catching big bass on Lake Fork right now.

The water levels are in great shape right now with the lake receiving a fairly heavy amount of rainfall so far this year. We are currently at 402.76, which is just barely below full pool. Water temperatures are ranging from 75-80 degrees. The water clarity is clear to about 3 feet on the south end with stained areas in the backs of some of the creeks and on the north end. There is a lot of new vegetation growing all over the lake with the high water levels and this has provided us with another very successful spring spawn.

The top water action has been great lately and what a way to start the day off with some big bass surface explosions. Yellow magic’s or zara spooks in shad colors have been best in 2-6 feet depths. The frog bite has also been fierce! With all the freshly flooded grass and new vegetation growing the bass are way up in it. Hollow frogs and Ribbits fished in lily pads, hydrilla, and flooded grass in the pockets and creeks has been very productive. I like to use natural colors like greens, blacks, and chartreuse or a combination of these colors. Having the right equipment with a frog is crucial in landing these bass from heavy cover. I am using the New Abu Garcia Rocket with 50 lb. Trilene Braid on an Abu Garcia Villain 7’ 3’” med heavy rod. The gear ratio on the Rocket is 9:1 and will bring em out of the heavy stuff quick. Square bill crank baits like the Berkley Pitbull have also been great in the same areas if the fish are reluctant to hit the top but they are chasing shad in the area.

I have also been finding a large number of big fish in mid depths this year. The bass have been feeding early and late on shad around 12-16 feet of water. My go to bait for these bass have been a 10” Texas rigged worm in blue fleck, tequila sunrise, and plum or watermelon candy. There’s nothing like the scent of a Powerbait worm to attract the bite of a monster bass. I am using a 3/8 oz. Elite Tungsten weight and a 5/0 hook for these worms and fishing it slowly around the trees on points, humps, road beds, and creek bends. You can also catch some fish in the same areas on deep diving crank bait like a DD 22. Any shad pattern will work fine. I prefer a little bit of chartreuse color on the bait.

Most of the best action will be out deep this month and into the summer. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big deep structure fisherman and what better time of year to have a blast catching numbers of big ole bass than on Lake Fork in June. On a lot of days that the sun comes up right away and it gets hot I will start my days out in deep water. Your electronics are a vital component to locating active fish in deep water. I really like my new Garmin units for showing me accurate information about the areas that I am fishing. If you haven’t seen their new freshwater fishing electronics line up, you’ll want to check them out. These units are very fast and precise. They really add a new dimension to fishing and reveal some amazing images that have helped me start catching more fish.

These deep bass will be in 16-24 feet of water usually holding around points, roadbeds, humps, and ridges. The fish can be hard to locate and are often times moving around a lot but if you stick with it, it can really pay off. I rely on my Garmin GPS Map units to show me where the bass are. Once I determine where they are and what they are relating to I will select a presentation that best suits the situation. A lot of these post spawn bass will be suspended so deep diving crank baits are a great choice. I also like to throw a deep swim bait at them like the Berkley Swim Shad. This bait can be worked at any depth in the water column so you can reach the bass wherever they are. When the fish get on the bottom I will target them with a big Texas rig and a 1/2 oz. weight with a 5/0 hook. I like to put a Berkley 10” or 12” Powerworm on and give them a big meal offering. Most of these bass are very hungry so a big bait is appealing to them. I also like to employ the Carolina rig into the arsenal of post spawn techniques. I like to use a long leader (5ft.) and a big heavy 1 oz. weight to drag the bottom. Trilene 20 lb. test Fluorocarbon is a must with a 2/0 or 3/0 wide gap hook. Best baits on the c-rig are Berkley Powerbait 7” or 10” Power Worms, Power Lizards, Havoc Backslides, and Boss Dogs in blue fleck, watermelon red, chartreuse pepper, green pumpkin, and watermelon candy. You can also catch a lot of these hungry post spawn bass on a football head jig. Santone Lures makes one of the best football head jigs on the market and I catch a lot of bass on it this time of year. I usually opt for the 5/8 or 3/4oz model and the best colors are PB&J, Bass Candy, Mexican Heather and my signature “JC’s Spicy Craw”. I’m rigging these with a matching trailer in a Berkley Havoc Deuce or Pit Chunk and dragging them around out in the same areas that I am the Carolina rig.

I hope this report helps you on your next trip here to the lake. I want to wish all the Dads out there a Happy Father’s Day! If you are headed to Lake Fork in pursuit of a trophy bass and are looking to book a guide, I would enjoy the opportunity to take you or your group fishing and show you a great time on Lake Fork. I still have some summer dates available and am already taking fall reservations, which is an excellent time for fishing on Lake Fork as well. I also have gift certificates available for those of you that are interested in purchasing a friend or loved one a guided trip on Lake Fork. You can contact me to make your reservation at 903-736-9888 or send me an email at [email protected] You can also visit my website for more information about Lake Fork and my guide service at www.officiallakeforktrophybass.com You can find me on Facebook and follow my official Lake Fork Guide page at https://www.facebook.com/lakeforkfishingguides
Good luck to all the tournament anglers headed to the lake this month! Also, while you are here, be sure to stop by Diamond Sports Marine located on highway 154 just north of the bridge. They have all the new 2016 Ranger Boats in stock. You will not want to miss the opportunity to check out the new Z series bass boats as well as the all-new Ranger aluminum series. These boats have some amazing features are definitely eye catchers! Give Fred a call at 903-383-7829 to set up your personal demo ride in a Ranger Boat.

I would like to thank all of my current 2016 sponsors for supporting my FLW Series tournament fishing and my guide service on Lake Fork: Toyota, Carhartt, Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, I Am Second, Leer, Garmin, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Santone Lures, Costa Sunglasses, Power Pole, Rigid Industries, Road Armor, Fabtech Motorsports and Elite Tungsten.


1 John 5:12- He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Tight Lines & God Bless,
James Caldemeyer